Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-06-09
STRUCK BY A WHALE.
An Interesting Tale Related by the MAO
az New Bedford Craft.

KUN 6y n "1H1.
An Interesting Tale Related by the Mate
of . New Bedford Craft.
1t was on the I'd day of April. 1SoS
and the hour was two O'Clock in the
afternoon, when the man on the look
out sighted a whale. Observations
taken at high noon of that day showed
Us TO be due north of Juan Fernandez
$50 miles. Our ship was the Home
ward. of New Bedford, Captain Sam
uel Clayton. master. and we had been
out fourteen months and We're in good
luck. The whale sighted on this after
nooa was the first spout seen for three
DAYS He broke water within half
mile of the ship. remained on the sur
face for three or four minutes, and
then went down again amidst great
smother of foam. As he went down
he ..lobtailed" for a moment, and by
this sign we knew that other whales
were in the vicinity. Lobtailing" is
when the big fish slaps the water right
and left with his fukes or tail, and
whalers have always contended that il
is a signal 10 other whales 10 look out
for danger. The echo of his blows
came down to Us from windward very
distinctly as we piled into the boats
and lowered away. There were three
boats of Us, and mine not only 90.
away first but continued TO lead, al
though l could hear the captain, who
was a few yards behind me, calling to
his men:
If you love me pull-break them
oars-twist the bottom out-pull your
selves overheard. -"
When we had pulled mile to wind
ward of the ship we rested on our oars
to wait for the whale TO come up again,
and the boats spead OFT over consider
able water to watch. Whales ALWAYS
feed or run to windward 1t is but
rare that one will run away from the
wind in any emergency. We had gone
half mile beyond his sounding, and
might look for him to come up any.
where in our neighborhood. He did
come, after time, leaping two-thirds of
his length out of water and there was
CRY Of establishment from every boat !
was in the whaling business for nine
teen years. and I'm telling you that
was the biggest one / ever set eyes on.
He was full one hundred feet long,
and covered with barnacles. seaweed
and slime, and ii was plain enough that
we had discovered an old resident of
the deep. He had hardly fallen back
into the wafer when the three boats
started for him. There would have
been a harpoon into him if he had
taken time 10 dive or sound, but he
played us a trick. In some way which
naturalists have never been able to ac-
count for. whale can sink himself
ike a ton of ballast This fellow lust
went right out of sight in five seconds,
Tearing scarce ripple on the surface
TO prove that he had been in view.
Some of the boats ran over the spot
before their Roadway was checked.
Well. it was spread ont and wait
again. but in ten minutes he came up
between Us and the ship, equidistant.
His head was hardly out of water
when we saw that he was in a rage
He began rolling and thrashing and
Shaping the water. and the boats had
scarcely started for him when he
started for the ship. There was
groan of despair from every boat, for
we knew by the way he held his head
and the slap of his flukes that he meant
mischief. We pulled for our lives.
hoping to overtake him. but the near
est boat was a quarter of mile be.
hind him when he struck the Home
ward at full tilt. We saw her heel
over as if she would 90 on her beam
ends. and plainly heard the frightened
cries of the men aboard. The whale I
backed off after the blow, seeming
bent on striking another. but changed /
his mind after Il moment and sunk out |
OF sight 10 oe seen no more.
The ship had received blow which |
started the butts of dozen planks. /
and she was filling with water as we /
reached her. We had less than twenty |
minutes in which to provision the ,
boats before she sank out of sight and |
we We're alone on the ocean She wen,
down so easily. and the sea WAS so
calm. that scarcely relic of her came
10 the surface. Nothing like a sail was
in sight, and under the captains or
ders we bore away for the island
have mentioned. We should doubtless
have made it safely enough, the
weather being fine, but just at dark
were picked up by an English bark and
carried into Valparaiso.-Detroit Free
Press.